Sleep problems in toddlers: Why are kids afraid of falling asleep?

20th October 2014

We’re always looking for ways to get to the heart of what’s important for kids, parents and grandparents. This month, as the nights draw in, we conducted a survey to find out what causes sleep problems in toddlers, as the hours of daylight start to dwindle.

We can all think back to a time when we were afraid to close our eyes; when the shadows in our rooms seemed to form shapes that weren’t there; the pipes made a noise that caused us to jump; or we woke from a bad dream only to find the lines between the dream world and the real world had blurred for a moment. We wondered if kids these days have the same fears as we did (many moons ago!) and what keeps them from falling asleep.

47% of children are afraid of falling asleep because they’re afraid of the dark.

Our survey asked parents of 1-8-year-olds about the things that keep their kids awake at night. 67% of parents said that the fear of falling asleep worsened as the days became shorter and the clocks went back. In fact, parents said it takes their children an average of six days to adjust to the time and light changes.

More than a third of parents said that their children had fears in the middle of the night, and three quarters of children got out of bed at some point to seek reassurance.

Being afraid of monsters was the main reason why children under 5 were afraid to sleep. The survey found that seven in ten parents make a special effort to walk around their child’s bedroom to prove that there are no monsters hiding in the shadows.

So what can we do to reassure our kids?

69% of parents said that children’s night lights helped their kids to fall asleep, because they are reassuring and prevent shadows in the room.

“If your child is afraid of the dark, offer them the reassurance of a night light to have nearby when they need it. You could even play hide and seek, in the late afternoon, using a GoGlow® torch, so they realise there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Mandy Gurney, Children’s Sleep Expert advises.

Soothe late night wake-ups with GoGlow®

Banish monsters and bad dreams with GoGlow, our family of characterful night lights and torches. GoGlow is the little bit of bravery she needs by her side and the peace of mind you need to shut his bedroom door.